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Summary: Terrorism from Inside
Review: In my opinion After the First Death is an interesting book. The
reader is able to get a feeling of the terrorists' thoughts and how fanatic they are and can be. I like that the book is written from different perspectives. The reader can see both the victims and what kinds of lives the terrorists have had and how their organization is built up. If you as a reader want to understand the story, you have to take your time and read some chapters twice to understand the author's intention. For a native speaker it's easy to read this book, but for an English pupil it's a challenge.
I had to look up several words because they were unknown to me. I didn't like that we never got to know about Ben himself. All we know about Ben we know from his father who is a sick man.
I suggest this book to everyone who is interested in getting background information on hijackers and terrorists.
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Summary: This is a really, really great book!
Review: I read this book last year in my 8th grade English class. I was used to reading books for school that were boring and a chore to read. But this year, every book was amazing. One was After the First Death. This book pulled me in from the start. It was suspenseful and weird. You got inside the mind of a "bad" person. And you felt sympathy for this person. I read this book really quickly, It really helped to discuss this book as a class and talk about the ending. I would have never understood it fully without discussing it. Robert Cormier is a fabulous author. This is his best work that I have read so far. The Chocolate War was good as well. but After the First Death was more intriuging
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Summary: My After the First Death Review
Review: I liked this book called After the First Death. I liked this book because I think that Robert Cormier, the author, was able to present a great deal of suspense throughout the book. The plot was filled with danger and fear that sent a cold chill up my spine. I enjoyed the plot of the story so much I couldn't stop reading it. The characters were very unique, some troubled, (kids on the bus), some afraid (Kate), and some dangerous (Artkin and Miro). I loved all the descriptive words used during the story that were perfectly placed that helped me vividly visualize what was going on. I would suggest this book to someone that likes suspense. Suspense had to have been the biggest and best factor of this story.
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Summary: Compelling, frightening novel.
Review: Using a narrative tool employed by THE CATCHER IN THE RYE to startling effect, Robert Cormier goes inside the minds of three teens, one of them apparently institutionalized, to tell the story of how they dealt with a terrorist attack in AFTER THE FIRST DEATH. It's a brilliant novel, one of Cormier's most frightening and effective, and it doesn't matter that it's classified as "juvenile literature." Given the realistic and topical aspects of the plot, AFTER THE FIRST DEATH is a page-turner, no matter how old you are.Two foreign terrorists, one of them a teenager, hijack a bus filled with small children on their way to summer camp. They take the bus to a bridge, announce their intentions and demands and begin to negotiate the release of the hostages with local military. Though they're reluctant, they assure the military that they will kill children if their demands are not met. The teen terrorist, one of the narrators, is both a frightening figure and a confused kid. He's capable of volatile actions, yet, at the same time, he's young, occasionally caring and vulnerable. Another of the narrators is Kate, the 16-year-old girl who is substituting for the bus driver on the day of the standoff. Thus, she becomes the primary caregiver for the children, who end up drugged, scared and sick. At the same time, she's still just a child herself, questioning her own bravery. Her relationship with the teen terrorist becomes key, as well, for she's the first girl with whom he's had any contact. She senses his feelings and wonders if she can use them to her advantage, if she even dares to do so. The third narrator, the son of the general who's negotiating the standoff, is the one in the institution, telling the story in flashback. Though this same device was used in THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, it's used for a different purpose here, and it leads to a rather shocking ending. The general's son becomes directly involved in the hostage situation at a point late in the game, and his life is placed at risk while the two sides come to terms with the situation. The title, "After the First Death," takes on several meanings throughout the course of the book. Taken from a Dylan Thomas poem, it seems to reflect on how the death of a child is no more and no less significant than the death of any person. Additionally, though, the title, if considered in a Biblical context, deals with the "first death" - the murder of Kane - and the ramifications of a juvenile's violent actions. The book deals with teens having to face the consequences of their own actions, having to face the dangers in a troubling situation where their are adult consequences. There's also a subtext surrounding children trying to please their parents. The ending passages are shocking, foreboding and heartbreakingly sad. The book stays with you in the manner of a resonant nightmare. It's a fascinating, layered book thick with plot and harrowing situations, and it's one of the best books I've ever read.
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Summary: look deeper, perhaps?
Review: To those who complain that this book is boring: did you not read Chapter 11? Rather, did you not comprehend it? Maybe I'm just an elitist snob, but if you can't understand the deeper psychological issues in this book in 12th grade, to quote manidia, maybe you really shouldn't be there. I was rather young, also, the first time I read this book (about 11) and I understood it the first time. To any potential readers: if you read this book and don't understand it the first time, <i>read it again</i>. Don't let the surface be all you recognise about this book. Personally, some parts of this book were rather tedious. The Miro/Kate chapters were well developed, but one-leveled. Whilst you discover new things with each reading of the Ben/Mark chapters, this is not so with the ones written in the third person. Otherwise, no complaints.
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Summary: Greatest Book I've Ever Read!
Review: After reading The Chocolate War and its sequel, I didn't think Robert Cormier could top it. After reading "After the First Death", I proved myself wrong. The story takes you on an emotional roller coaster. You go from hating characters to sympathizing with them, then back to hating them. I think the character development of Kate was by far the most impactful, although Miro was a very symbolic and well built character as well. If you read this ENTIRE book and don't feel a thing, then you belong in Miro's group. Hehe, if you've read it you'll understand.
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Summary: Keeps you reading until the end!
Review: Robert Cormier's Thriller "After the first death" is dealing with a problem that is even more topical today as in the days Cormier wrote it 1979: terrorism.
He writes about the hijacking of a bus full of children on an old railway-bridge and the consequences for all people who were involved in it. The plot is described out of different perspectives in different times which could be a little bit confusing at the beginnig, but this style of writing later makes it easier for the reader to understand the actions of both sides, on the one hand the actions of the terrorists and on the other hand the reactions of the victims, esspecially Mark and Ben, a General and his son, whose relationship is very problematic, and Kate, the driver of the bus, who tries to fight against the threat of the terrorists.
All in all, Robert Cormier's style of writing and the detailed description of the inner selves of the characters who all undergo a certain development keeps you reading to an Hollywood unlike ending.
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Summary: a diverting political novel
Review: Review: After the first death - Robert Cormier
The book "After the first death" by Robert Cormier is about events of the hijacking of a school bus in the USA and the relationships of the involved characters.
Four terrorists kidnap a bus full of children and a young female driver. Also involved are an army general and his son who is tortured by the terrorists.
The atmosphere of the book is very dark and there are shown a lot of scaring feelings, so for example about committing suicide or about not having any positive feelings for any human being.
The events of the hijacking are described from different perspectives, the perspective of the hostages, Miro's one, the perspective of the general and his son. The chapter in which the situation in the bus is described are written in the third person, but you see the thoughts of Kate and Miro. The relationship of the general and his son Ben is described first by Ben and then by his father, in each case it is written in the first person.
Cormier writes predominantly in short sentences and switches often between the characters. This style of writing makes the book thrilling and confusing at the same time.
I liked the book very much, because it is the first book I had to read in school that was not boring, but really thrilling. In none of the chapters you can foreknow how the book ends or how the relationships of the different characters change. Every time the relationships change and you get to know new sides of a characters mind, your own emotional mood changes. You go from hating characters to sympathizing with them, then back to hating them.
For me the most interesting point was that I could get into the mind of a terrorist and see how their minds work and how they feel and think. I think to know this point of view is so important, because terrorism and not understanding the other cultures is one of the hugest problems these days.
So, altogether Cormier was able to give a good impression of this problem, but though it is not a dry book with political themes, but an interesting and diverting novel.
(jp)
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Summary: Terrorism from two points of view
Review: The book "After the first death" by Robert Cormier is about two completely different young men and an incident on a bridge concerning Terrorism. The reader is told more about the plot and gets to see things from both perspectives. From the view of the victim and from the hijackers. The book is extremely fascinating, because of the realistic and dramatic story-line, with no particular hollywood-ending. This novel was especially interesting for me to read and I was able to identify with the situation, which just as well could have happened to me.
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Summary: review of after the first death
Review: The book consists of two different stories. The first tells us about Ben, a boy who is almost living a normal life: going to school, having friends and problems with his parents. His father works as a general in a secret and important part of military. The second part of the book is about an attack of terrorist. They kidnap the schoolbus with young children and busdriver Kate. At the end the two stories come together when Ben has to bring a special stone, which is important sign for terrorists. the story ends with lots of dead people, only one terrorist, Miro, survives.
The story became realistic and topicly after the attack on the World Trade Center in september, 2001. Incidents like in the book can happen everytime and everywhere in our world.
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